


Comfortable Silence

by cityscaping



Series: inarizaki school tour series [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blood and Injury, Cute Kids, Developing Friendships, Elementary School Miya Osamu, F/M, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Hospitals, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Middle Grade Vibes, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Miya Atsumu Being an Idiot, Miya Atsumu is a Little Shit, Original Character(s), Pre-Canon, Prequel, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27561850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cityscaping/pseuds/cityscaping
Summary: Nine year old Miya Osamu disliked being sick from food poisoning and bedridden in a hospital bed. The food sucked and worse of all, the silence when he was alone was deafening. But when a girl his age entered the picture as his hospital ward roommate, Osamu learned how to find comfort in silence after a lifetime of dealing with noise and chaos courtesy of his brother.
Relationships: Miya Osamu/Original Female Character(s), Miya Osamu/Reader
Series: inarizaki school tour series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975246
Kudos: 30





	Comfortable Silence

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: this one shot is basically a prequel for a longer fic about osamu that i am working on, so that i can get a feel about my oc and her dynamic with osamu. mild spoilers for the longer fic though (which draft is still glaring holes into the back of my head). anyways, enjoy.

_ TW: Blood, wounds, implied past abuse.  _

_ Hyogo Prefecture Hospital, 2005 _

Nine year old Miya Osamu was bored. Letting out a yawn, he stretched his hands upright to chase away his boredom to no avail. He hated being constrained in a hospital bed because of a stupid disease. Typhus, all because he bought the wrong street food when he was hanging out with his friends and family during the summer festival several days ago. 

Maybe it was the youngest child curse that somehow ensnared Osamu and yet spared Tsumu. Tsumu could play volleyball in the junior club all he wanted without him this week. It wasn't that Osamu loved volleyball as much as his brother did, he just hated being stuck on a bed with nobody to talk to and not moving around. 

And worse, hospital food did not taste good at ALL. He missed the comfort of his own home, even if it was so noisy because of Atsumu, Osamu had learned to find comfort in the noise. 

He had yet to learn how to find comfort in silence. 

"Osamu-chan," The nurse's familiar voice said as she entered the hospital ward. "Here is your lunch today."

She was holding a tray with the usual generic porridge along with miso soup. Osamu huffed, but he nodded. There was nothing he could do anyway but to comply. Even if he was itching to let go of his infusion tube and just roam around the hospital out of boredom. 

"Nurse-san, I want to go home," He muttered as the young nurse put the tray on top of the portable table on top of Osamu's lap. "I can't talk to anybody here and it is so boring."

The nurse looked into his face as she smiled warmly. Yes he was lonely because his mother would only arrive later tonight to accompany him throughout the night while his father stayed at home to make sure Tsumu didn't burn the whole house down. But at least he had someone to talk to, to fill in the deafening silence. 

Osamu would never admit it to his twin brother, but he was rather used to the noise Atsumu filled in the atmosphere. And now in his absence (since Tsumu could only visit on the weekends because their father wouldn't want him to neglect his homework), it left a huge space that was now empty. And he had no idea how to fill that empty space. 

"I'm going to tell you a little secret," The nurse said, winking as she leaned a little closer to Osamu, "Since you're staying in a semi-private ward, there will be another child around your age who will stay on the bed right beside yours. Make sure to treat her well, okay?" 

As she carefully set the spoon and fork for him on the tray, the nurse left his room without any other words. That's what he disliked about hospitals. The food sucked and definitely did not hold a candle to the one his mother cooked for him and Tsumu. But what really bothered him was that nobody was keen and wanted to indulge him. As if everyone was keeping their distance from him. 

He didn't know why, he was only ten years old, but Osamu sure did feel so lonely in the days his parents weren't around to accompany him or when Tsumu couldn't visit (not that Osamu would ever say it to his twin's face). He wished he could get better sooner and return to the comfort of his own home when the silence was not so deafening. 

It was really annoying that the nurses didn't allow him to play with the other kids yet in the children's ward. Something about him not being well enough, but that must be a lie because Osamu felt well enough to spike volleyballs or eat good food. 

The sound of a wheelchair rolled into his room got Osamu's attention. He looked up from his lunch (ugh another porridge) and saw a nurse pushed the wheelchair into a room. A cute young girl who looked around his age was sitting in a wheelchair. Usually, Osamu would not be shy to ogle at cute girls (yes he was ten but damn ten-year-olds deserve to appreciate pretty girls too). But this time it wasn't her cuteness that caught his attention. 

Bandages wrapped around her forehead, along with the right half of her shoulders as well. Not to mention the cast she was wearing on her left arm, indicating a broken bone as one of her many battle wounds. 

Osamu found his jaw dropped and his eyes rounded in surprise. What battle did she go through to get such wounds and survive? It was not an appropriate thought, but at that time ten year old Osamu was not aware. He just stared at her in fascination, did she just fight a Kaijuu or any kind of monster and survived to tell the tale? 

His ten year old mind could not figure out that his fascination was born from boredom that led him to make up stories inside his head about this newcomer girl on the wheelchair. 

Either way, Osamu was fascinated and determined to talk to her. Although he should make sure that the new girl wouldn't think he is a freak. Usually, he wasn't this persistent, but with nobody to keep him company and no Tsumu to be the "troublemaker twin", Osamu already felt giddy to fill the deafening silence of his hospital room along with the new stranger. 

Little did he know that the girl who bore battle wounds he thought was cool, had just survived one of the worst battles of her life against a literal monster. 

<><><>

"What's your favorite food?" Osamu asked in a rather loud voice. The distance between their beds was wide enough to put a desk in between, so he had to be loud if he wanted her to hear him.

It took him almost several hours to gather up his courage and talked to her. Well, she was also taking a long nap right after the nurse moved her to the hospital bed. The time was enough for Osamu to watch her sleep and wait for her to wake up. 

She did not sleep in peace. Nightmares seemed to plague her dreams as she trashed and screamed. For the first time in his life, Osamu didn't feel safe. Even though peace was not something he was familiar with (courtesy of having Tsumu as a twin), it was the first time he witnessed  _ real  _ terror. The only terror he usually saw was on TV like movies or news. He remembered watching a court trial on TV, a young girl with her face censored giving a testimony through a video camera. 

He watched it with his brother, but before either of them could gouge more information, their mother snapped at them to watch something more appropriate for children. 

Scared and worried about the new girl, Osamu pressed the button to alert the nurse and before long, several nurses barged in and they helped her to wake up from her nightmares. 

It made him think twice before asking about the Kaijuu she fought until she bore such battle wounds. Food was the common ground that everyone stood on. He was lonely and tired of the silence, so might as well get it over with and start talking. 

"Ano... I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

Finally, she gave him a reply. From the corner of his eyes, he saw her putting down the book that she was reading ever since she woke up from the nightmares. She turned off the flashlight she was using to read and put it on the bedside table right beside her bed. Since her left arm was put on a cast, she was flipping through the pages  _ and  _ maintaining her flashlight in position with only one hand.

Osamu thought about using only one hand to function in his daily life, even if it was only temporary. He shook his head, there was no way he would have dealt with using only one hand in his daily life. He wouldn’t be able to play volleyball with his brother or help his mother to cook in the kitchen.

“My name is Miya Osamu, so now that you know my name, we’re no longer strangers right?” 

She turned her face to him, showing at least half of her face that was bandaged. Her dark brown hair wasn’t all scooped up into the bandage as some still fell across her shoulders. If he first saw her in school, he would definitely flinch. But alas, they met in a hospital ward where he was lonely and in need to talk to someone to fill the silence in the air. 

Something about her eyes made Osamu feel unsettled. The way she would stare at him, but something told him that her mind was not here. Like she was still trapped in a place where she could not escape. It was like she was still living with her nightmares even while she was awake. 

“I...My name is…” she trailed off, like she wasn’t sure about telling him her name. Or she wasn’t sure about her name, but that would be ridiculous, right? “My name is Nakano Riko, you can call me Riko. I’m getting used to it by the way.” 

It was rather unusual, but Osamu somehow wished he could use his lie detecting skills (not that it was useful since Tsumu was always caught in a lie) to see if she was telling her real name. And getting used to what? His brain almost went overdrive in trying to figure out the answers.

“Riko-san,” he tested out her name in his tongue and somehow he smiled. It sounded light and a little bit foreign. Even though it is most definitely a Japanese sounding name, if he replaced the ‘R’ with ‘L’, turning her name into Liko, it added a foreign tinge to her name. “Liko. Nakano Riko. If you add the last syllable of your name with your first name, it would be ‘Noriko’. Your name is very...ugh what is the word to say about a name that can have many syllables?”

He saw her face to see if his corny attempt to joke earned him a little bit of smile. Osamu wanted to erase the nightmares that were plaguing Riko, just to prove a point to himself that he was funnier than his twin. And to prove to her that being around him would be light and easy.

“Versatile, I think that’s the word you’re looking for,” Riko answered, shifting her body so she was facing Osamu, even with the distance between their hospital beds that separated them. He watched her arm, hoping she did not put too much pressure on her uninjured arm. “Or punny.”

“Pun jokes are the best kind of comedy,” Osamu said, wearing such a serious expression before his face broke into a smile. “Ano...so you really don’t mind me calling you Riko?” 

For a split second, the empty gaze was back on her eyes and Osamu gulped. Hopefully Liko wouldn’t retreat back into her nightmares. 

“Yeah, I don’t mind you calling me Riko, Miya-san.” 

It was as if there was something left unsaid, but Osamu was not one to pick up the lingering words left in the air. He filled it with his own instead. 

“Ugh, don’t call me Miya-san, I have a twin brother and if people call us Miya-san both of us would answer. Just call me Samu. Samu is fine.”

Riko went quiet and Osamu felt a little scared that her nightmares would grab her on her leg and drag her back to ell. “Samu…okay, Samu it is then.. By the way, my favorite food is Unagi Sushi.”

Since it was already night time, the lights were off and yet, Osamu could see Riko’s face clearly. The moonlight from the window illuminated her face. Somehow, Osamu never felt he saw a clearer picture of someone. It was only the first day they met each other, but Osamu somehow felt like he peeked into Riko’s secrets when he saw her trashing on the bed and screamed for her life. 

Somehow it felt safer to keep it to himself that he was the one who alerted the nurses to wake her up from her nightmare. 

“I’ll ask my Oka-san to make Unagi Sushi too if she visits tomorrow,” Osamu declared, feeling a smile blooming on his face. There was a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest at the idea of feeding Riko with Unagi Sushi. He loved all kinds of food, but anything with rice was his favorite. “She’s a great cook, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“You sure talk a lot huh,” Riko replied, but there was no malice in her voice. She sounded tired though, but still she faced Samu, this time her hand dangling from her bed, trying to touch the floor. “Thank you, Samu…I’d like to eat your Oka-san’s Unagi Sushi. I’m sure I’ll love it.”

Osamu didn’t notice it, but the smile that Riko was wearing didn’t quite reach her eyes. He may have taken a little peek into her nightmares, but he definitely still had miles to go to peel Riko’s walls. 

That is if Tsumu didn’t ruin his plans first when he visited this weekend. 

“You should go to sleep, Samu-san…” Riko remarked as she slowly shifted her body again to face the window. “The night still has a long way to go.”

Osamu was once again met with Riko’s back, as she retreated back into her personal world. At least today was a start for him not to get lonely in the hospital ward during the weekdays. 

He hoped by having him as her temporary roommate in the hospital ward, she would also start to feel less lonely just the way he had when she came around.

<><><>

Riko was...not someone that he was used to dealing with, as Osamu found out throughout the next several days they spent as wardmates. 

Withdrawn, quiet and would rather be reading on her bed than begging to the nurses to bring them out to the children’s ward playroom, Riko was so different than Tsumu. Or any of his friends in school. She didn’t immediately get chummy around him, so he had to work harder to peel off her layers. Definitely easier to have around, as she was a calming presence and didn’t make him want to pull out his hair in frustration. Something told him that if they met in school, she would not be in his radar at all. 

But slowly, Osamu got Riko to open up more about herself. She liked to eat, but her stomach couldn’t handle much food (Osamu was still wrapping his head around this not gonna lie). An avid reader, Riko could read since she was three years old. Not a huge sports person at all, there were too many times the ball hit her head in PE class. 

“People say I’m smart just because I can do something earlier than anybody else,” Riko told him when the nurse just delivered lunches to both of them. “But it never makes me feel as good as they think it does. What about you?” 

Right, it was his turn to tell something about himself when he proposed to play the twenty questions game that morning. Their beds were now right beside each other, as Osamu begged for the nurse to let their beds be dragged closer to each other. He was sitting while Riko was still lying on her bed. Her wounds would not let move around as much as she wanted, but from the several days he got to know her, Osamu knew Riko wouldn’t mind not moving around. 

“Everyone around me said I’m a little bit better than my brother in volleyball,” Osamu admitted. For some reason, saying it to a stranger like Riko made him feel safe. “But I’m not sure it makes me feel as good because he likes it a lot more than I do.” 

“And that is a problem because?” 

Osamu widened his eyes, a little bit surprised because of Riko’s question. “What do you mean?”

“Why does it matter to you that your brother loves volleyball more than you do?” Riko asked, her tone was genuinely curious. “From what you tell me about him, he is annoying and you want the chance to get away from him once in a while. You not liking volleyball as much as he does shouldn’t bother you.” 

“True,” Osamu grumbled, thinking of the time Tsumu forced him to take the lower bunk bed in their room or when Tsumu stole his food from the refrigerator. He couldn’t really explain why it was bugging his mind that he was not as passionate about volleyball as Tsumu was. 

“Do you want to hear what I think about your situation?” 

Osamu braced himself, somehow he knew that whatever Riko was going to say would punch him in the gut. “Sure and it’s rare to hear you voluntarily say anything unless I drag it out of you.”

Riko chuckled and cleared her throat. “Well, I think that you care about him more than you wanted to admit. And you’re scared of losing the common ground you have with him.”

Osamu could feel the blush creeping on his face and of course, Riko had to chuckle once again. She did not say it, but that gesture was enough to point it out. 

“Or you’re just being competitive with him and it gives you a little bit of thrill that you’re better than him when you’re only giving the bare minimum of effort.” 

“You’re ten years old just like me,” Osamu grumbled as he looked away from Riko. “You’re not supposed to talk like you know everything.”

He did not see it, but the spark that was lit on Riko’s eyes dimmed. As if his words reminded her that she was not a normal ten year old. As if her childhood already ended while his hadn’t. 

But then again, no ten year old had already seen a true monster’s face and survived to tell its tale. 

“Sometimes,” Riko said, her voice was wistful, “I’d rather be a ten year old who doesn't know anything.” 

At this, Osamu turned his head again to face her. She already knew almost everything about him there was to tell, and yet he still had no idea why she ended up in the hospital in the first place. During the span of several days they spent with each other, only now that Osamu realized that he had yet to peel off Riko’s walls. 

Yes, he knew that she was introverted and would rather spend her time alone than hanging out with friends (something he could not relate to). She loved to read, had a scary ability to figure out his thought process, and did not like sports at all. He did not know how many siblings she had, why her parents moved to Hyogo or why she was in the hospital in the first place. 

It bothered Osamu that Riko got a read on him like he was an open book and he could barely flip open the pages of her. 

Before he could ask her about why she was heavily wounded and ended up in the hospital, two nurses walked into their room. One of them was bringing a roll of bandages. It occurred to Osamu that they were here to change Riko’s bandages. 

“Riko-chan, now it’s the time to change the bandages around your head and shoulders,” one of the nurses announced, her voice was soothing, as if she knew that Riko needed to hear something to calm her nerves.

Riko stiffened, but she only nodded as she adjusted her body to sit on her bed. At least there was still some space between Riko’s bed and the window so Osamu’s bed did not have to be dragged away just to make space for the nurses. 

“You guys are already tight knit huh,” the other nurse commented with a cheeky smile on her face. “Won’t your brother be jealous if he saw you already getting chummy with the new girl? Usually your oka-san would bring him to visit around the weekends and tomorrow is Saturday.” 

It was the same nurse who promised Osamu that he wouldn’t be lonely again because Riko would be admitted into the same ward as he did. 

Osamu rolled his eyes. He was not ready for Riko to meet Tsumu just yet. He would make fun of her and being his usual dumbass who could not filter his mouth. Osamu was not sure Riko could deal with him. But then again, if Riko could make Osamu squirm a little with her ridiculous ability to point out his train of thought, Tsumu wouldn’t stand a chance and it caused a smile to bloom on Osamu’s face.

But then his eyes flicked to her direction, right when the nurse was unwrapping the bandage on Riko’s forehead. Her dark hair fell from her head seamlessly, cascading down onto her shoulders. 

This time, Osamu wished that Riko would move into his school, no matter how ridiculous that wish was. He wanted to be her friend, to be there for her. 

The nurse carefully combed Riko’s hair, making sure to remove the dried blood. Osamu saw the nasty gash on her forehead only for a split second before her bangs dropped to cover it up. 

The other nurse who talked to Osamu just now was unfurling the bandage on Riko’s shoulders. This time, he saw more blood than he ever did in his life. The blood that was covered by Riko’s bandages and her T-shirt sleeves. Even more than when he spiked a ball into Tsumu’s face (not so accidentally) and caused his brother’s nose to bleed. 

Somehow, Osamu felt like he was peeking into Riko’s privacy. Yes, he knew Riko bore wounds with the way she was heavily bandaged. But it never truly dawned on his realization just how terrible the monster that Riko faced and survived. 

“Samu, it’s okay if you want to look away,” Riko softly said, as the nurse worked on her new bandage. “You don’t have to look if you can’t.” 

Osamu was at loss for words, but he couldn't look away. He found his eyes glued to the way Riko did not even flinch from the pain. She just quietly took it all in, not once complaining or yelling. 

His twin brother definitely wouldn’t be able to handle that much pain without whining. 

“SAMU!! I’M HERE WITH OKAA-SAN!”

Speaking of the devil, apparently Tsumu decided to drop by for a visit a day earlier than planned. His brother’s very familiar face (and annoyingly identical to Osamu’s) peeked into the room as he just casually strolled in like he owned the hospital ward. 

It dawned on Osamu’s realization that his brother’s timing of visiting was real shitty. But then again, a lot of things about Tsumu were shitty. 

Tsumu was just a stranger to Riko and yet he was seeing her in the worst moment he could possibly see. Osamu just prayed that Tsumu wouldn’t say something annoying or disturbing that would throw Riko off. 

“Oka-san,” Osamu said to his mother, who was already putting down the tupperwares full of food he requested her to bring (because hospital food tasted like shit). Hopefully she did not forget to pack up some Unagi Sushi for Riko just like he asked. “Don’t let Tsumu come in just yet, I want to take a nap.” 

“Eh, nani!!?” Tsumu protested and as usual, his voice sounded like a whine. “School’s out early because there’s a fire drill and you’re kicking me off the room?!” 

Osamu looked into his mother’s face and begged with his face, mustering all of his energy to make a cute puppy dog face that he knew Oka-san could not refuse. 

Mama Miya’s eyes drifted to the nurses who were working on Riko’s bandages. They were only adding some final touches before wrapping it one more time. Sighing, his mother gave Samu her kind smile and nodded. “Give your brother some time, Tsumu, I’ll buy you some food in the cafeteria okay?”

Of course, hearing cafeteria food made Tsumu’s eyes sparkled. He vigorously nodded. “Yay! Buy me Ice Cream and don’t make me share it with Samu, pretty please?”

Osamu only rolled his eyes, but he sighed in relief inwardly. If Tsumu had the audacity to steal the food Osamu had already labeled with his own name, he definitely would not hesitate to say something offensive towards Riko. 

“Okay, all done!” The nurses said as they patted Riko’s shoulders. “Make sure you don’t move around much and tomorrow is your schedule for physiotherapy, so make sure today you get a lot of sleep, alright?”

Osamu watched Riko’s face, but his friend only nodded. “Okay, arigatou, nurse-san…”

The nurses nodded and once again they patted Riko’s shoulder that was not bandaged and left. 

She turned to Osamu and only gave him a weak smile. “Ne...is there anything else you want to ask me, Samu? We’re still playing our game, right?” 

There were so many things he wanted to ask her. Why did she end up in a hospital and why should she experience physical whatever therapy? And why did she somehow manage to keep up her smile, even if it seemed there were so many reasons for her to whine and complain?

But something told him that it was not the right time to ask her. Yes, they were playing a game indeed in which they reveal themselves to each other. But Osamu felt if he asked right now, it would be like jumping off to a higher level of the game without finishing the lower levels. It did not feel right. 

“Riko, I…” Osamu trailed off. “You don’t have to talk right now if you don’t want to. We can pause the game and anyway, my brother and Oka-san are going to be here anytime soon. Believe me, you have to prepare yourself for dealing with Tsumu. He is annoying, whiny, selfish, and a liar…”

Somehow, Riko chuckled hearing Osamu’s rant. “Samu, I hate to be this kind of person, but I’m glad that you still have your twin brother. I’m glad you still have a lot of time with him. Sometimes, we realize how precious the stuff we have only when they are gone, or just doesn't exist anymore.” 

Riko looked into the window, somehow her eyes were staring into something even in nothingness. 

If there was one thing Osamu definitely learned to understand during the several days he got to know Riko, he learned that in silence, there was comfort. 

Silence did not always mean loneliness, it could mean someone needed their time to retreat into their world and think. Samu never liked silence that much, that was just the way he was. He needed to be around people and noise, to give him energy. But that was not the case with Riko. 

There were times like this when she said stuff that got him into real thinking mode and she would stare into nothing for several minutes. 

“Do you want me to give you a side hug?” Osamu suddenly asked, he just blurted out those words. Somehow being around Riko helped Osamu to be...careful, but not entirely in a bad way. “Whenever I was having nightmares, my oka-san would come into my room and give me a hug to make it better.”

He liked being around Riko. Or more likely, he liked himself more when he was around Riko. 

Riko turned her head to face Osamu. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but she blinked and her eyes weren't glassy anymore. 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Riko finally said after a long stretch of silence. “Samu...you don’t have to pity me. I’m alright, at least I hope I’m going to be.”

Osamu did not know what to say. He had never in his life encountered someone like Riko, who had been through a battle so horrid that she bore so many scars. The only thing he could do was to hug her. Yeah she was a girl and he was a boy, but Osamu figured that he already grew out of his ‘girls are yucky and spread cooties’ phase. And they weren’t in school, but in the safety of their shared hospital ward.

Carefully, Osamu put his arms around Riko, making sure not to touch her bandaged shoulder. Using his right hand, he wrapped it around Riko’s waist and pulled her closer until she was sitting on his hospital bed. 

“Will you tell me one day why you ended up in this hospital?” 

Riko carefully put her head on Osamu’s shoulders and closed her eyes. “I don’t know, Samu, I’m not even ready to think about  _ why  _ I am even here. I’m sure you’re going to leave this hospital in a week while I still have months left here. But honestly, I still can’t believe that being a foodie is one of the reasons why you ended up in a hospital.” She chuckled afterwards.

“Hey, that okonomiyaki tastes real good okay!”

“So you’re saying that you’re a food martyr,” Riko remarked before bursting into a series of laughter again. “One day I’m sure you’re going to make a name of yourself with something related to food. You definitely love food much more than volleyball.”

Osamu just pouted before pinching Riko’s face, causing the girl to wail and laughed again. On that day, he had yet to understand what Riko’s words meant. On that day, Osamu did not think about volleyball at all. His mind was occupied with his new friend who was starting to take some space in his heart.

Not long after, silence settled in the air once again and Osamu felt no inclination to break it. With Riko, he learned to find comfort in silence. With Riko, he learned something akin to empathy and that he was capable of it. 

She shifted back to her bed, but Osamu kept on holding Riko’s hand. Just so that Riko knew she was not alone. And that he wanted her to know that he wanted to be there for her just like how her presence had made him less lonely in their hospital ward.

“SAMU, I HOPE YOU’RE ALREADY AWAKE FROM YOUR NAP BECAUSE I AM BRINGING SOME ICE CREAM FOR YOU!!”

Once again Tsumu’s voice blared through the hospital ward, causing Osamu and Riko to flinch before both turning their heads to Atsumu. Osamu groaned and rolled his eyes while Riko only stayed quiet, retreating back into her shell.

“Tsumu, if you don’t keep your voice down, the nurses will not allow you to drop by during visiting hours,” Mama Miya’s stern voice reprimanded him, but of course as per usual, Atsumu just strolled in, ready to bug the hell out of his brother.

The other Miya brother raised his eyebrows seeing Riko, who clearly was bandaged on her head and half of her shoulder. Or maybe Atsumu was staring at the way his brother was holding Riko's hand. 

Ugh, he definitely would say something to make the vibe uncomfortable, Osamu thought to himself. 

“Whoa, Osamu got a girlfriend while I’m not around?! A mummified girl? Oka-san, it’s unfair, I want a girlfriend too!”

“Miya Atsumu, you’re too young to even understand what girlfriend means and it is rude to call Riko a mummified girl, so apologize,” Mama Miya ordered as she shot Riko an apologetic smile. “Gomen, Riko-chan, Osamu had told me about you when I dropped by for a visit yesterday, but you’re already asleep. Thank you for having Osamu in your care during the past few days when I can’t be here.”

Osamu wanted to laugh at the way Atsumu pouted, but he bashfully made his way closer to the edge of bed and handed out his hand. 

“Gomen...mummy girl, I’m Osamu’s brother, Miya Atsumu, the better twin brother!”

“Atsumu!” 

“Ah Oka-san, but I  _ am  _ the better twin brother,” Atsumu turned his head to his mother who looked like she was one second away from pulling her son’s ears. “Ne, Riko-chan, how do you find my brother’s company for the past few days?”

Osamu turned to Riko, waiting for her answer and how she would react. Would she retreat back to her shell or slowly open up to Tsumu? 

Somehow, the idea of Riko opening up to his brother made Osamu nauseous. 

“Uh…” Riko trailed off. “Gomen, I don’t think I’m supposed to talk to strangers.” 

“HEH?!” Atsumu protested and he started to rattle off the reasons why he was the better twin brother.

Osamu flicked a glance into Riko who managed to keep a straight face, but when their eyes met, Riko gave him a wink. Yep, she definitely could handle Tsumu with her flippantly nice attitude.

Inwardly Osamu counted the days he had left with Riko. The nurses said if he continued to sleep and eat well, he would be discharged from the hospital next week. Back to his normal life with Tsumu, volleyball practices and of course, the cool senpai from volleyball workshop Aran-kun. There would be no Riko, but Osamu was determined to ask for her home address and her house’s landline number so they could stay in touch. 

Maybe when Riko’s parents drop by for a visit tomorrow, Osamu would ask them. 

“Ne, Samu…” Riko whispered, low enough so Atsumu would not hear. “Don’t worry, you’re definitely the better twin for me.” After that, she flashed Osamu with her kind smile before nodding at whatever gibberish Atsumu was saying without batting an eye.

At that day aside from learning how to find comfort in silence, Osamu found his chest was filled with warmth that he had never felt before. 

  
  
  



End file.
